Puma taps into Manchester’s youth culture with R-City initiative

This summer, German sportswear Puma launches R-City, a seven-month initiative embedded not in global capitals of fashion but in the neighbourhoods of Greater Manchester, from Moss Side to Salford, Fallowfield to Wythenshawe.

On the surface, the campaign reads like a millennial-marketing dream: free gym memberships, music masterclasses, youth-led events, and product drops. But dig deeper and R-City represents something more rare in the fashion industry: a genuine co-creation with the community.

Developed in collaboration with Youth Beyond Borders (YBB), a dynamic youth creative agency, and supported by a network of over 120 grassroots organisations through Young Manchester* this is not a top-down campaign. It's a reciprocal cultural investment, shaped by the city, for the city.

A different kind of brand activation

Where traditional fashion marketing campaigns often seek to parachute into cities with temporary, aesthetic spectacle, Puma has taken a markedly different approach. R-City is a slow-build, intentionally mapped to run over half a year, weaving together the physical and creative aspirations of young Mancunians. From workouts in Hulme Park led by BBC Gladiators finalist Mus Dumbuya, to music accelerators hosted at Pie Radio, the initiative connects with its 16–25-year-old target audience on their terms, in their language, in their spaces.

Not just branding, brand "embedding”

“We’re investing in a long-term vision that puts purpose, access, and community at the heart of everything we do,” said Clara Martin, Puma UK&I Team Head of Sportstyle Marketing. It's the kind of language that would ring hollow if not for the groundwork: free training sessions, mentorship opportunities, and a closing community celebration where the youth themselves take centre stage. Crucially, the partnership with YBB means the project is also reinvesting 100 percent of profits back into youth charities, making R-City a rare example of purpose-led marketing with structural giveback.

For Puma, this strategy makes sense. As Gen Z’s spending power rises, so too does its cynicism toward empty corporate rhetoric. Today’s young consumers don’t just demand transparency, they expect participation. By aligning with YBB and Young Manchester, Puma doesn’t just borrow cultural capital; it helps build it. In return, the brand earns something every global label now craves: relevance rooted in locality.

The timing is also astute. With the North of England often overlooked in the cultural economy, R-City gives Puma first-mover advantage in a region teeming with creativity, talent, and underfunded potential. Investing in the civic, physical, and creative health of this generation isn't charity, it’s smart long-term positioning.

For the community, too, the dividends are real. Gym access and mentorship may sound modest, but when delivered consistently and at scale, these are the scaffolds of empowerment. More importantly, the campaign doesn’t impose outcomes—it invites young people to shape their own.

For all the column inches devoted to sustainability and inclusivity, few brands truly deliver community-focused campaigns with this level of integration. R-City sets a precedent: not just for sportswear brands, but for the broader fashion ecosystem struggling to balance profitability with purpose. As industry giants attempt to future-proof themselves in the face of consumer fatigue and economic volatility, Puma’s Manchester playbook offers a powerful alternative: co-create, don’t co-opt.